True Limits
by Chairman LoneStar
Summary: Bruno's words still haunted him, even though two years had passed since those events. "Accel Synchro is nothing more than an exhibit! A mere display of what is beyond it!" Is there more beyond Accel and Delta Accel Synchro?
1. Prologue

_LoneStar: "So I know I'm supposed to be working on my other story, but this idea's been flowing in my mind for far too long to be ignored any longer. So here it is. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's or any of the characters created by Kazuki Takahashi-san. I also don't own the awesomeness that is Masaaki Endoh's song "Road to Tomorrow (Going My Way)". Thanks for reading! _

_~~~~~T~L~~~~~_

_ A young man, about 21 years old, races down the highway on his motorcycle at about 130 miles an hour. His wild, spiky, black hair, though mostly covered by his helmet, is still flowing in the wind as he smiles to himself, at one with the speed. His motorbike, shaped almost like a rocket with a crescent-shaped back-rest, is red with white stripes along the sides, and an armature on either side that keeps him locked in safely. One has to wonder, though; why can he drive his motorcycle at such high speeds without getting pulled over? Who does he think he is? _

_ Well, there are a couple of things that you, as the reader, must consider. For one, this is no ordinary young man; this is Yusei Fudo. Second, you must also consider that this is no ordinary motorcycle; this is a D-Wheel. Third, you must also take into account that this is Neo Domino City, and the highway is built for people just like Yusei to ride their D-Wheels at these high speeds in Riding Duels, in which people battle with speed and power. Yusei Fudo, he's not your average Riding Duelist, either; he's the King of Riding Duels and co-champion of the World Riding Grand Prix 3 years running. _

_So now that you know all this, think you're ready for his story?_

_~~~~~T~L~~~~~_

_The Riding Duel. That's the duel that evolved in the world of speed. There are those who risk their lives and bear legendary birthmarks who people started calling the 5D's!_

_**Just run off, the path of evolution aimed for tomorrow**_

_**Lies with a new, legendary duel. **_

_**You gotta shake off all these unbearable feelings just tearing you up.**_

_**Your potential's just so infinite, so you gotta let it all out. **_

_**It's always up to you to give things a starting push **_

_**Since everyone's chasing after the light that's wandering about. **_

_**See, it seems like they've lost sight of their fleeting dreams **_

_**But if we link our bonds, you can bet that we'll never lose. **_

_**Growing, go my way. **_

_**Be on with the wind, dance on forward, and tear that darkness apart! **_

_**Even if you can't see where you're trying to get to right now**_

_**Just go and run off, using your two feet, not even fearing anything. **_

_**Keep heading down this path aimed for the future. **_

_**Going my way, cut a path wide open and go!**_

_~~~~~T~L~~~~~_


	2. Battles of the Past

_LoneStar: "It's like this. Ideas flow like rivers, right? There's no telling in which direction the river will flow, so you just go with the flow, correct?"_

_Talis: "That's usually how it works, I think."_

_LoneStar: "Glad you agree, Talis. It makes me feel so much better about this now."_

_Talis: "About what, LoneStar?"_

_LoneStar: "About putting your story on hold to write this one, of course!"_

_Talis: "Wait, what?"_

_LoneStar: "While Talis takes a minute to figure out what just happened, I'll remind you that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's or any of the characters or cards created by Kazuki Takahashi-san or Konami. I especially don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's - Episode 144. A couple of the characters may be a little OOC, but that's all in good fun. Hopefully I don't stray too much. Enjoy the story, guys. I hope you like it."_

_LoneStar: "Oh, before I forget, any monster cards mentioned will be written in this format: Card Name (ATK/DEF), but only the first time it is mentioned. Other times, they will just be written like this: Card Name. Enjoy the story!"_

_~~~~~T~L~~~~~_

**True Limits**

Chapter I: Battles of the Past

"You may have surpassed your own limits, but you've only barely begun to scratch the surface of the current situation." Bruno, or rather, Antinomy smirks as Yusei just destroyed his _Tech Genus Metal Skeleton (1100/?)_ with _Shooting Star Dragon (3300/2500)_.

"Because, regrettably, the limitations you believed yourself to have surpassed were not you _true _limitations!"

Yusei is confused. "What do you mean by that?"

Antinomy's face turns serious as he explains: "Accel Synchro is meant as nothing more than an _exhibit_! A mere _display_ of what lies _beyond _it!"

"What?"

Antinomy points out towards Yusei as he exclaims: "Allow me to show you! This is what lies far ahead and beyond that surreal world of yours!" With this, he accelerates far beyond Yusei's D-Wheel's capabilities. "My turn!"

**Antinomy: 1800 LP, 4 SC**

**Yusei: 1600 LP, 4 SC**

Antinomy holds up a monster and declares its effect. "This monster allows me to reduce the ATK power of one Machine-Type monster on my field by 1000 points in order to Special Summon it from my hand. I Special Summon _Tech Genus Gear Zombie (600/0)_!" In the space above Antinomy, a zombie with gears sticking out of its shoulders, arms, and legs appears.

Yusei looks on surprised as Antinomy's _Tech Genus Blade Gunner (3300/2200)_ then loses 1000 ATK (3300 → 2300/2200).

"Next, I Summon _Tech Genus Drill Fish (100/?)_!" A red and blue swordfish with a drill for a mouth as opposed to a sword-shape appears next to his other two monsters.

"I'm Tuning my Level 1 Drill Fish with my Level 1 Gear Zombie!"

As Antinomy performs his Summon chant, Gear Zombie turns into a star and makes a ring around Drill Fish. The combination then makes a column of light. "_Limiter removal, Level 2. Regulator, open. Navigation, all clear! Go! Synchro Summon!_"

Out of the column of light comes a mechanized dragonfly with four wings like a fan surrounding its head. "Come on! _Tech Genus Recipro Dragonfly (300/300)_!"

"Recipro Dragonfly's Monster Effect lets me return one Synchro Monster to the Extra Deck and then revive the Monsters used as Synchro Material." As he says this, Blade Gunner dematerializes.

"Revive! Wonder Magician (1900/0)! Hyper Librarian (2400/1800)!" A female brown-robed mage with blue wings and a white-robed man with shades and a book appear in the place of Blade Gunner.

Yusei continues to be shocked by Antinomy's actions. "He actually returned an Accel Synchro Monster to his Extra Deck?"

Antinomy pumps his fist as he proclaims: "This is the answer to what lies beyond Accel Synchro!"

He continues to accelerate as Yusei queries. "What are you about to do?"

The slipstream begins to form around Delta Eagle as Antinomy speaks. "The state of supremacy beyond the limits of your own being...Top Clear Mind!" The slipstream then forms a column of green light, looking almost like circuits.

Yusei is taken aback, and doesn't hide that fact at all. "What?"

"Yusei, watch carefully! I'm Tuning my Level 2 Recipro Dragonfly and my Level 5 Hyper Librarian with my Level 5 Wonder Magician!" Wonder Magician's blue wings disappear as she dissolves into five stars which travel ahead of Antimony and form five giant rings around the track.

The chant begins as the energy continues to build up off of Delta Eagle. "_Limiter removal, Level MAX! Regulator, open! All clear! Infinite power, piercing through time and space. Open to a world unknown! Go, Delta Accel!"_

The energy that collected around Delta Eagle transfers itself to the star the track surrounded and causes the star to condense and then implode. Yusei is nearly blown off the track by the magnitude of the energy released.

"COME ON! _Tech Genus Halberd Cannon (4000/4000)_!" A black and orange robotic behemoth that looks like it came straight from a lovechild of a Transformer and a Gundam robot flies out above Antinomy and Delta Eagle, swinging its halberd before posing, its halberd at least one-and-a-half times its own length pointed out towards the sky.

"What is...?" Yusei looks around in the light left over from the star's implosion.

"Yusei, did you see that?" Antinomy looks back at Yusei while he speaks. "It's a Synchro Summon using three Synchro Monsters! This is a Synchro surpassing Accel Synchro!" He makes a fist as he speaks the last words. "It's called Delta Accel Synchro!"

"Delta Accel Synchro?"

_~~~~~T~L~~~~~_

Yusei wakes up, shocked by his dream, but not because of the dream itself. His eyes begin to water as he remembers the battle and the dear friend he lost after it ended. "Bruno..." Just as before, just as always, he cannot stop the tears from falling. "Why did so many have to be lost in order to save this world?"

He sits up and looks at his alarm clock. "Four-thirty a.m., that's later than usual. Guess I'll be behind today." Yusei gets out of bed and walks to his bathroom, grabbing his towel on the way.

Twenty minutes later, Yusei locks up his house and gets on his D-Wheel, affectionately dubbed Yusei Go, and rides off onto the empty streets of Neo Domino City, his turns and twists almost automatic as he rides through the city.

Once he reaches the highway, he decides to ride to the Duel Arena, for old times' sake. The confetti from the victory celebration still remains from the previous day, and Yusei smiles a little to himself as he remembers holding up the trophy alongside his friends Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan for the third time in three years.

"Reminiscing on yesterday's events, Yusei?" Another duelist rides up on a dark D-Wheel, the rider's head covered with a helmet colored green and black, hiding the person's face from view.

"You're up early." Yusei laughs a little to himself.

"I could say the same thing to you, but that would be pointless talk, now wouldn't it?"

"Not necessarily. Banter's good for your health, you know?"

"And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Yusei?"

"Indeed I do, but it takes two to banter, now, doesn't it? And how do you know my name?"

"You're right about that one. And everyone knows the King of Riding Duels. What say we take this banter on the road, huh?" The pair, by this time, has pulled up to the starting line of the arena.

"Really? A Riding Duel at five a.m.?"

"Is the King scared?"

"Of course not! Are you crazy? I'd never turn down a duel!"

"Alright then, let's do this!"

The Duel Track, surprisingly, activates, and the countdown from 10 begins.

"Let's go then, King Yusei! Riding Duel -"

"Acceleration!"

The timer completes its countdown to zero and the Duelists race down the track.

"I'll let you go first, stranger!"

"All right then. My turn! Draw!" The stranger draws a card and adds it to his hand. "I Summon _Biofalcon (1700/1200)_ in Attack Mode!" A mechanical bird with a blaster fan attached toits back appears on the field. "I Set one card face-down. That's all for now."

"I'm up next, and I'm not gonna hold back! My turn!"

**Yusei: 4000 LP, 1 SC**

**Stranger: 4000 LP, 1 SC**

Yusei draws a card and adds it to his hand. "Sweet! I'm gonna send my _Level Eater (600/0)_ to the Graveyard to Special Summon _Quick Synchron (700/1300)_!" For a split second, the image of a red spotless ladybug appears, quickly replaced by a mechanical gunman.

"Nice card! But he pales in comparison to my Biofalcon!"

"Not for long! I activate the Effect of the Level Eater in my Graveyard. By lowering my Quick Synchron's level from 5 to 4, I can Special Summon my Level Eater!" The spotless ladybug returns, flies through Quick Synchron, and lands, sporting a yellow star on its once-empty back.

"Now it's time to call out an old friend. I'm Tuning my Level 1 Level Eater with my Level 4 Quick Synchron!" Quick Synchron shoots the air in front of him before fading into four bright stars, which form rings around Level Eater.

"Clustering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path its light shines upon!" Level Eater becomes a single star which then shoots a column of light through the rings. "Synchro Summon! Show yourself, _Junk Warrior (2300/1300)_!" A blue armored man with silver knuckles and red eyes flies out of the column of light and punches the air in front of him.

"Nice job! Now come at me, Yusei!"

"You got it! Junk Warrior, attack his Biofalcon with Scrap Fist!" Junk Warrior flies at Biofalcon as his fist glows purple and slams through the mechanical bird. Sparks fly as the stranger's Life Points are reduced by 600.

**Yusei: 4000 LP, 1 SC**

**Stranger: 3400 LP, 1 SC**

"Impressive moves, Yusei, but that's not all I've got! My turn!"

**Yusei: 4000 LP, 2 SC**

**Stranger: 3400 LP, 2 SC**

"I activate the Speed Spell – Spirit Burner (A/N 1) and equip it to your Junk Warrior!" A glyph appears underneath Junk Warrior and he kneels and crosses his arms in front of his helmet.

"What'd you do?"

"Spirit Burner allows me to, once per turn, change one Monster into Defense Mode!"

"Didn't see that coming!"

"Of course, this comes at a price. I have to give up the two Speed Counters I have, but I can live with that. Take your turn, Yusei!"

"Alright, draw!"

**Yusei: 4000 LP, 3 SC**

**Stranger: 3400 LP, 1 SC**

"Since my Junk Warrior's outta commission for the time being, I'm gonna call out another good friend of mine: _Speed Warrior (900/400)_!" A man in a green track suit, skates, and goggles appears on the field. "His ability allows him to double his attack strength for this turn's Battle Phase! (900 → 1800/400) Let's go, Speed Warrior! Sonic Edge!"

"Uh ah ah, did you forget my facedown card, Yusei? Trap card activate, Dimensional Prison!" A vortex opens, protecting the Duelist from Speed Warrior's attack. "When a Monster declares an Attack, this little number removes that Monster from play!" Speed Warrior spins right into the vortex, which closes immediately.

"Ng...I'll end my turn."

"Thought you might say that. My turn!"

**Yusei: 4000 LP, 4 SC**

**Stranger: 3400 LP, 2 SC**

"I place one Monster face-down and Set a card. Then I'm calling it a turn."

"Let's go! My turn! Draw!"

**Yusei: 4000 LP, 5 SC**

**Stranger: 3400 LP, 3 SC**

"I'm gonna switch my Junk Warrior back to Attack Mode and then take out your face-down Monster! Go, Scrap Fist!" Junk Warrior punches down through the card, revealing a gold and silver flak cannon shaped like a pterodactyl.

"Snap! You just took out my _Armored Cybern (0/2000)_!"

"Gotta duel fearlessly! That's how you win battles! I Set a card, then end my turn."

"Then I'm up again! Draw!"

**Yusei: 4000 LP, 6 SC**

**Stranger: 3400 LP, 4 SC**

"Oh, here comes the fun! Looks like this Duel's just about over, Yusei!"

"You're crazy; it's only just begun!"

"So you think! Thanks to my empty field and your Monster, I get to Special Summon this bad boy, my _Cyber Dragon (2100/1600)_, to the field in Attack Mode!" A metallic dragon with sharp fins and razor-like teeth slithers onto the field, ready to strike.

"A Cyber Dragon? I haven't seen one of those except in history books!"

"If you're surprised now, just wait. Next, I Summon the Monster known as _The Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion (1000/1600)_!" An oddly-shaped amalgam of things with light poking out through the cracks appears next to Cyber Dragon.

"And you've got a Hex-Sealed Fusion card? I've never even seen one of those in action!"

"Well then, I better show you up close and personal. I activate its Effect!" Cyber Dragon and The Light – Hex-Sealed Fusion disappear, leaving a small portal.

"What? Where'd they go?"

"You see, Hex-Sealed Fusion's Effect allows me to bypass the need of Fusion cards and get right to the high-powered action. By sacrificing it alongside the proper Material Monsters, I can Special Summon a Fusion Monster. So come on out, _Cyber Twin Dragon (2800/2100)_!" The Cyber Dragon returns through the field through the portal; he doesn't come alone, however. He brings along a second head, complete with 700 more attack points.

"This is history right here. Amazing!"

"Let me teach you a bit about the Cybers. This one here packs a punch. With Cyber Twin's effect, I can attack you twice this Battle Phase!"

"Wait, what?"

"Take one! Cyber Twin Dragon, blow away his Junk Warrior! But first, I'll flip a Trap Card! Rising Energy!" An orange aura surrounds Cyber Twin Dragon as its attack points increase. "Rising Energy provides any Monster I choose a 1500 attack point boost until the end of the turn! (2800 → 4300/2100)"

"No way! You gotta be kidding!"

"Nope, no joking here. Now go, Twin Dragon! Energy Pulse!" Cyber Twin Dragon's first head opens its maw and releases a blast of blue energy that tears through Junk Warrior.

**Yusei: 2000 LP, 6 SC**

**Stranger: 3400 LP, 4 SC**

"And now, Cyber Twin Dragon, attack Yusei directly with Evolution Twin Pulse!" Both of Cyber Twin Dragon's mouths open, releasing blue and white energy beams which converge on Yusei's form, causing him to groan as his Life Points decrease to 0.

**Yusei: 0 LP, 6 SC**

**Stranger: 3400 LP, 4 SC**

Yusei's D-Wheel's air brake activates, slowing him down involuntarily. Yusei thinks to himself: _That guy is simply amazing!_

The helmeted stranger rides up next to Yusei and gets off of his D-Wheel. "It was nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Fudo, and even nicer to duel you. I can see why you're the King. You may have lost, but it was sheer luck that I drew the cards I did to win. You've got true skill, Signer."

"Thanks, stranger!" Yusei extends his hand and the two share a heartfelt handshake. "I never got your name; you're also an incredible Duelist."

"Just call me LoneStar, Yusei."

"Alright, LoneStar, we'll definitely have to duel again sometime."

"Of course! It's an honor to duel the King." LoneStar bows.

"Stop it with the title, man. I'm not one for all that stuff." Yusei chuckles.

"You got it, Yusei. I'll see you around, I've got some business to attend to, but we'll definitely meet again. Ciao, Yusei Fudo." LoneStar gets back on his D-Wheel, revs the engine, and rides off into the morning's rising sun.

"I'd better get back to my house. Someone may be waiting for me."

"Yusei Fudo!" A voice crackles on his D-Wheel's radio. "Where are you?"

"Oh boy. I'm gonna get it now..."

_~~~~~T~L~~~~~_

_Featured Ace Cards of the Chapter:_

Shooting Star Dragon

LV 10

3300/3000

1 Tuner Synchro Monster + "Stardust Dragon"  
This card can be Synchro Summoned on your opponent's turn. Once per turn, you can reveal the top 5 cards of your Deck. Shuffle them back in, This card can attack monsters your opponent controls by a number of Tuner monsters that were revealed. Negate the activation of a Spell Card, Trap Card, or Effect Monster's effect that destroys a card(s), other than this card, and destroy that card. During your opponent's turn, you can remove from play this card to negate 1 attack from a monster your opponent controls. When this card is removed from play by this effect, it is returned to the field during the End Phase of the turn it activated this effect.

Tech Genus Halberd Cannon

LV 12

4000/4000

1 Tuner Synchro Monster + 2 or more non-Tuner Synchro Monsters

You can negate the Summon of a monster, and destroy it. This effect can only be used up to the number of Synchro Material Monsters used to Synchro Summon this card. When the effect of an opponent's monster activates that would remove itself from the field, you can negate that effect, and have that monster lose 800 ATK. When a Spell/Trap Card you control targets this card, you can halve this card's original ATK and DEF. When this card is destroyed, you can draw 1 card. When this card is removed from the field, you can Special Summon 1 "Tech Genus Blade Blaster" from your Extra Deck.

Junk Warrior

LV 5

2300/1600

"Junk Synchron" + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters  
This card gains ATK equal to the total ATK of all Level 2 and lower monsters you control.

Cyber Twin Dragon

LV 8

2800/2100

"Cyber Dragon" + "Cyber Dragon"  
This card can attack twice in the same Battle Phase.

_~~~~~T~L~~~~~_

A/N 1:I took the liberty of making Spirit Burner a Speed Spell so as to avoid the 2K LP penalty. I hope that's OK with you guys. :D

_~~~~~T~L~~~~~_

_LoneStar: "Another chapter complete. What a duel! I had fun writing that one. Thanks to everyone who's already added this story to their alerts without there being much of anything yet. I love that you __guys have faith in me; I hope this story will live up to your expectations. Salus in Lux Lucis!"_


	3. Team 5D's

_LoneStar: "Hey there, once again, my lovely readers. It's nice to get another chance to write again. I've got 40 days left in my senior year, so it's getting more and more exciting. Even more exciting is Yusei's new power."_

_Yusei: "No spoilers, LoneStar!"_

_LoneStar: "But it was so epic! You summoned everyone's Signer dragons, you turned gold, you went into space!"_

_Yusei: *trying to change the subject* "So, shall we get on with the story then, my new friend?"_

_LoneStar: "In just a minute, Yusei; first I must address my readers. To all those who added 'True Limits' to their Story Alerts and Favorites, thanks for the love, I greatly appreciate it. And to those anonymous reviewers? Get accounts so that I can thank you for real!"_

_Yusei: "I hope everyone who's reading this is watching the anime as well; I'm working hard against Z-One in that Duel!"_

_LoneStar: "We know, Yusei, we know. Speaking of which, all you reading this story should get up to date as to what's going on in Neo Domino City these days if you haven't. In future chapters, I'm gonna reference a lot of the series, especially late-Season 2 events, and I don't wanna spoil it for ya!"_

_Yusei: "Now that that's outta the way..."_

_LoneStar: "Right. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, its characters, the cards, or any related trademarks. Those belong to Konami and Kazuki Takahashi-san. Wish I did own it though, or at least partly. I'd have done better with that failure of a plot hole a couple of episodes ago..."_

_~~~~~T~L~~~~~_

**Chapter II: Team 5D's**

"Yusei Fudo!" A voice crackles over Yusei's D-Wheel's radio. "Where are you?"

"Oh boy. I'm gonna get it..." Yusei clicks on his radio. "Oy."

"Don't 'oy' me, Yusei. Why are you and your D-Wheel not at your house like you should be at this early time of the morning?"

"You know I like to ride around and think sometimes. Why are you at my house this early anyway?"

A face appears on the screen above the radio transceiver. It's a young woman, not much older than Yusei, with long crimson hair and a roundish, warm face. Her eyebrows are creased with worry and annoyance as she berates Yusei.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to surprise my boyfriend with breakfast!" Her face changes to a mock pout.

"Sorry, Aki, I didn't mean it like that."

A smile replaces the pout almost immediately. "Oh, I know; I just wanted to hear it from you. Now get your butt home now! You need to eat!"

Yusei smirks and mockingly says, "OK, OK, I'm coming, Mom!"

"Don't make me hurt you when you get back here, Yusei! My psychic powers aren't _entirely_ gone, you know!"

Yusei sweatdrops and responds tentatively. "Yes ma'am, I'll be home right away."

Aki smiles sweetly. "That's my boy. See you, Yusei."

"See you, Aki." He clicks off the radio and screen. "Sheesh, she acts so much like Martha sometimes; I gotta stop bringing her over there." He revs the D-Wheel's engine. "I guess I probably should head home, though. Don't want Aki's breakfast to go to waste!"

Yusei takes off for his house, located in the Tops district of Neo Domino City (one of the perks of being the Riding Duel King and co-WRGP winner three years running). Of course, he really only uses his house to sleep and shower, most of the time, anyway. More of his time is spent working with his friends Jack, Crow, Leo, and Luna, and his girlfriend Aki in the garage apartment they shared as a team two years prior. It would always be more of a home to him, just like the former Satellite was for most of his life.

By the time Yusei pulls into his driveway, the Sun is already well on its daily trip across the sky and the grass is already quite dry. Yusei sees the deep crimson D-Whel he constructed 3 years ago, Aki's D-Wheel, along with a second black, brown, and yellow one, Blackbird.

"So Crow's here too, huh? Aki's probably got him eating me outta house and home already. I'd better get in there or I won't _get_ to eat!" He shuts off his D-Wheel, takes out the key, and runs up the path to his front door, rapping thrice on the wooden entrance.

"Who is it?" A voice, coming from one sounding as if the owner's mouth is full of food, is followed by a gray eye in the peephole.

"Open up my door, Crow, and stop talking with your mouth full!" Yusei laughs at his best friend.

"No need for insults, man! Your girlfriend cooks good food! Mmm, mmm, good!" Crow opens the door and the pair bump fists as Crow swallows the last of whatever was in his mouth. "Mornin', champ."

"Mornin', Crow. I hope you didn't eat all the food!"

"Would have! But Aki wouldn't let me."

"Of course not!" Aki walks into the corridor, wearing a yellow tank top and red sweatpants. "If you ate everything, Yusei wouldn't have any breakfast, Crow!" She taps crow on the head with her knuckle before drawing Yusei into a hug. "Good morning."

"Morning, Aki. I see you're dressed comfortably."

She comes out of the hug and does a small twirl. "Thought I'd give the ol' dress a rest for the day; can't really cook while wearing it anyway. You like?"

"I always like what you wear, Aki, you know that." Yusei smiles at her.

"Always the charmer, Mr. Fudo." She bops him on the nose. "It's a wonder I don't have to have a fly swatter to chase all the floozies from you."

Crow chimes in. "Trust me, Aki, they're afraid of you, scared you might hit 'em with a psychic blast or something; everyone knows Yusei here's off limits."

"As well they should! It took him a year and a half to ask me out and I'm not lettin' any dime-a-dozen take him from me, not without a fight."

"And I wouldn't _let_ any dime-a-dozen take me from you. You're my one-of-a-kind psychic-powered Black rose and that's how it'll stay." Yusei gives Aki a peck on the lips.

"Not that this isn't cute and all, you two," Crow starts as he scratches the back of his head, "but we've got work to do, Yusei. Those packages don't deliver themselves, you know!"

"Got it, Crow, but first, I'm gonna get some breakfast, courtesy of the best girlfriend this side of the Pacific!" Yusei starts walking to the kitchen/dining room, hanging up his jacket on the way.

"Well, you won't be disappointed, man. Aki could give Martha a run for her money in the kitchen…don't tell Martha I said that, though."

Yusei and Aki start to laugh and Crow soon joins in as they all enter the kitchen/dining room.

Crow and Yusei take a seat as Aki brings over a plate stacked high with pancakes, eggs, and bacon with a hot cup of coffee on the side.

"Whoa! Aki, this breakfast looks amazing! I'm glad I didn't stop for a snack on the way home!" Yusei takes a big whiff of the mountain of food in front of him.

Aki blushes, her face's color threatening to rival that of her hair. "I was just taking Martha's advice to get reacquainted with the kitchen."

Yusei takes a bite of the eggs. "It was great advice. This tastes – mmm – so good!"

"Didn't I tell you, Aki? Your cooking is awesome! Did you cook while you lived with the Arcadia Movement?"

"At first I did, but Divine stopped me. He thought it was a 'waste of my time and talents'." Aki's brow furrows as she mimics the words from her past.

"He obviously didn't _taste _any of what you cooked then!" Yusei continues to eat his breakfast with gusto. "How wrong he was!"

Aki sits down next to Yusei. "So why were you at the Kaiba Dome? Practice run that early in the morning?"

Yusei puts his fork down for a while to address them both. "At first I was just blowing off some steam. Dreamt about Bruno again." He sighs. "But, like I was saying, I was just riding around, clearing my head. Then, all of a sudden, this guy showed up outta nowhere. It was weird; it was like he knew I would be there."

"What'd he look like, Yusei?" Crow looks intrigued. "Is he from Satellite or the High Town?"

"I don't really know; his helmet covered his face. All I know about him is that he calls himself LoneStar and he has a Cyber Dragon deck."

"CYBER DRAGON DECK?" Aki and Crow look dumbfounded as they react simultaneously.

"That's what I said, a Cyber Dragon deck."

"Who has a Cyber Dragon anymore?" Crow is the first to respond. "That card is ridiculously old; no one's seen it since the Marufuji Kaisers!"

"Caught me off guard too!"

"And you're saying this guy LoneStar has them?" Aki's speechlessness ends as well.

"Not only does he have them..." Yusei takes another bite of the pancakes. "He uses them quite well, took me out without cracking a sweat."

"You dueled him?"

"And he beat you?"

"WHAT?"

"You guys act as if I've never list a duel before."

"Lose a duel, sure, but not against some guy you just met." Aki looks concerned.

"Is there any footage of this little battle we could watch? I'm itchin' to check out that Cyber Dragon in action."

"Crow, you nerd! We're talking about Yusei losing a duel to some stranger and all you're worried about is looking at some tape?"

"What? That card is historic; not many people, if any, get to see it in action these days and I want to."

"Well, Crow, I'm sure there's a tape of it at the Kaiba Dome. They're really meticulous about keeping records and all that."

"So what are we sitting around here for?" Crow gets up from the table. "We've got a tape to watch!"

"Uhh, Crow, don't you two have to work today?" Aki questions. 

"That's a solid point; we can't have Jack and Leo making all the deliveries, man."

Crow drops back into his chair. "Oh yeah...what time is it?" He looks up at the clock. "Dang! We're late! It's after 9 already?"

Aki gets up. "Jack's gonna kill you two! You better hurry over to the garage; I'll meet you there later."

Yusei grabs his plate and goes over to the fridge. "I'm saving this for later." He opens the fridge and puts the plate down in it. "Come on, Crow. Time to head out."

Crow gets up again and starts to the door. "Back to the old grind! I really wanna watch those tapes after work though."

The trio walk out to the front door, grabbing their jackets on the way. Yusei locks the door as they walk to their D-Wheels.

"I'll be at the garage by 11, OK? I'm gonna grab a shower first." Aki mounts her D-Wheel and puts on her helmet.

"Got it. You know where we are if we're not at the garage." Yusei gets on his D-Wheel and starts the engine.

"Make sure you two wear your helmets while you're out there working. People drive crazy out there."

"Yes, Onee-chan!" Crow pokes his tongue out at Aki as he gets on his own D-Wheel, starts the engine, and dons his helmet.

The friends laugh as they take off in their separate directions, each with thoughts of what may lie ahead.

_~~~~~T~L~~~~~_

_LoneStar: "I know this one's kinda short, but I feel like it's worth ending this chapter here. A little fluff for one of my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh! Pairings since the show doesn't give it enough credit while on the air."_

_Yusei: "You just really wanted me and Aki together, didn't you?"_

_LoneStar: "As if you didn't, Fudo!"_

_Yusei: "I have nothing to say on the subject."_

_LoneStar: "Caught ya!"_

_Yusei: "Did not!"_

_LoneStar: "Did too! You love Aki; Aki loves you. What's the issue?"_

_Yusei: "...shut up, LoneStar."_

_LoneStar: "I win, Mr. Over Top Clear Mind."_

_Yusei: "No spoilers!"_

_LoneStar: "I don't know where to go with this story after that. Your creators totally ruined the whole premise of my story with those four words...shoot. Now I gotta come up with something totally different. Don't know how I'm gonna beat Shooting Quasar Dragon though."_

_Yusei: "You'll think of something, man. Think of the readers!"_

_LoneStar: "You're right. Anyways, thanks for reading, guys. Hopefully I'll be able to bring out another chapter soon to make up for the shortness of this one. Riding Duel, Acceleration!"_


End file.
